Reviews (page 2 of 8)
One of the greatest metal albums
Pretty cool. Relentless, furious, yet still reasonably tonal – making it stand above a fair chunk of the thrash metal genre. The singing hits a perfect medium between howly classic rock, greasy hair metal, and unbearably grating death/doom metal singing. But come on – almost every song is in the same key, uses the same instruments and vocal delivery, uses similar tempos. There's "staying true to yourself" and then there's "let's make a monotonous album because we lack versatility". The opener, Angel Of Death, is very strong even prior to the guitar solo. But that section there takes the cake. Such a cool textural switch-up that works perfectly for the song. And an even stronger outro. The crazed guitar and especially those insanely fast drum patterns, plus a tempo change or three, get my stamp of approval. After this point, the songs flash by without so much as a backward glance. Again, I think this is pretty admirable. It hearkens back to the punk era, and you just don't see this "blitz album" format gain much popularity nowadays. But I digress. Piece By Piece has a cool, dancey swing, and Necrophobic / Altar Of Sacrifice bleed pretty well into each other due to having extremely similar tempos, textures, and performances on each instrument. Both songs have some crazily fast guitarwork, too, in both lead and bass. But that bleeding is nothing compared to the Altar Of Sacrifice / Jesus Saves transition. Heck yeah. Side 2 begins with Criminally Insane, yet another high-energy song with a solo that doubles the guitar part in the bass. I do wish we got more contrast in energy/mood by this point, so presumably those songs are buried somewhere else in side 2. Otherwise, I fear this album will be difficult to reapproach past the first listen. (Staying power is pretty important as a standard for album lists like these.) The musicianship is so consistently strong that I can't really fault individual songs, though. Reborn and Epidemic are both quite strong, yet also quite similar in execution. One advantage of having many consecutive songs that sound very similar is that, when the band changes one small thing, it makes a huge difference. The dark, semi-fast swing in Postmortem works wonders in this regard. I like when the guy screams ghoulishly around the halfway point. Nice fake-out ending, too. Raining Blood ends with the first genuine riff in quite some time. And it's divine. Add a sprinkle of all-out anger, a ton of kick drum thumpery, and you've got a (bloody) masterpiece on your hands. It's a shame most of the other songs sound nigh identical. 3/5 Key tracks: Angel Of Death, Postmortem, Raining Blood
Solid thrash metal record that dared to be edgy af with both the technical rapid-fire shredding and all the graphic, satanic, and occult references in the lyrics. Not a bad listen at all and the title track still holds up to this day. This was a much more entertaining listen than Metallica's Black album. This shit definitely inspired some edgy weirdos but the music checks out. 7/10.
Baustelle, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Schon ein Evergreen.
Is this the best metal album? Probably.
Damn fine, too short. Fantastic guitars, the vocal style a bit of a miss, but these buys were laying a great foundation. 4.5
DNL
There is very limited distinction in track structure throughout the album, I appreciate this is probably pivotal to the genre but it is essentially the same song, rhythm, beat with altered short form edgelord staccato lyrics
Nicht der größte Fan von Thrash-Metal
2,3 Highlights: Angel of Death, Piece by Piece
Oh it’s that kinda day Okay so I’m probably more of a three and a half on this one. It’s intense and silly and rocks but doesn’t do much to vary itself during its runtime.
We got blood, we got slayer, 'eff off.
i mean i can’t deny it’s a classic
(2/7) I appreciate that they kept it short
Slayer is noted as one of the kings of Thrash Metal, and this is one of their better albums. I like the technical proficiency required to play many of these songs but other than Raining Blood, I couldn't really get into it. I find it very listenable, but nothing sticks.
Don’t enjoy this genre much; found it hard to differentiate between songs.
Slayer!!!!!!
Weird I got two thrash metal albums back to back, but I vastly preferred the Anthrax album to this one. This felt incredibly repetitive and got boring quick
Frustrating album to rate. Slayer does an excellent job of creating engsging grooves and headbanging riffs. But I cannot stand blast beats for an entire song, let alone an entire album. Comes down to personal taste, but I would prefer a groovier Slayer compared to the mosh-pit Slayer. Top tracks: Altar of Sacrifice, Postmortem, Raining Blood
Imagine my relief after having to listen to a-ha to have this album pop up. It was possibly the most mentally refreshing thing to happen to me today. And, it was a nice opportunity to listen to Slayer in close proximity to Megadeth, and think about why I hate the latter and love the former. Turns out, it's just the guitar, drumming, vocals and lyrics. Otherwise, they're nearly indistinguishable! I jest. I just put in my earbuds and blazed through the greatest 35 minutes of music to come out of the 80s. Buuut, I have some thoughts anyway. Guitar. I'm sure Dave Mustaine is technically a better guitar player than either Jeff Hanneman (was) or Kerry King (is). But in terms of guitar tone and sound, Jeff and Kerry rule. Their tones are deeper and they mastered both the chug and the furious thrashing. Great examples (for me) are the middle three songs on this album: Reborn, Epidemic, and Postmortem. You could play 0:26 to 1:46 in Postmortem on a loop, and I could listen to that all day long. But, Raining Blood takes the cake for sheer speed and violence. Listen to them hit it at 2:53. That shit is crazy. Drums: Dave Lombardo's blast beats. I don't know, but I think Slayer was the first band I ever heard with double base drums. Watching that guy on the Seasons in the Abyss tour was mind-blowing. Listen to the blast beats he churns out starting at 0:20 of Angel of Death. I bet his heart rate was hitting 220 bpm when they recorded that. And he's tight. So great. Vocals: Tom Araya pretty much burned out his vocal cords by the time Slayer published South of Heaven, and he dropped the high pitched screaming thereafter, which is good, because those were not the best part of his singing (well, except for the opening of Angel of Death, which totally needed his screaming). Rather, it was his ability (unlike all the extreme metal bands) to actually make the lyrics of every song completely intelligible. Growling, rasping, you name it. His voice matched the themes of their lyrics. Lyrics: Satan, Nazis, murderers. Even when I was 14 listening to this band, I knew these guys didn't do any of this in real life. And I knew they weren't asking me to do any of this. Question is, why couldn't Deicide get this? But I digress. Piece by Piece has my favorite metal lyric of all time: "Modulistic terror, a vast sadistic feast; the only way to exit is going piece by piece." This is my favorite lyric, because you can totally sing it to the Philmont Hymn, which I possibly have done. Also, I have no idea what this song is about, but I suspect possibly the Rancor. Anyway, whatever. I love this album, listen to it weekly while biking home from work, and am giving it a rating of 11 out of 5 stars, even if 6 of those 5 stars are invisible to everyone but me.
Nobody works the speed bag of metal as ferociously and adeptly as Slayer. I put up with the lyrics, but when I’m in a mood to get punched in the face, this is how I want it.
I like the guitars and a lot of the riffs. I dislike the dumb growly vocal and the boring drum-with-every-downbeat pattern of the verses. Of the first two songs, which was as far as I got.
4/5 - So much less menacing than when I was 14 years old. I have zero emotional connection to this, and the lyrics are juvenile rambling, but the guitar and drums hit hard. I listened to it again today, because I am postponing having to listen to another Morrissey album.
One, if if not the greatest thrash metal of all time
it’s just the same noise over and over again
Thrash metal built from blistering guitar riffs, pounding drums, distorted bass, and screamed vocals feels like being strapped into a runaway machine that has only one setting: maximum speed. The sheer intensity is impressive, but for me the relentless barrage leaves little room to actually engage with the music. The album is brutally efficient at what it wants to do, yet the constant aggression makes it feel simply exhausted.
There's a lot packed into here. It's scarily efficient, yet cohesive. Style won't be for everyone, but this one slaps for me!
This was horrible. Awful noise, terrible lyrics, glad it only took half an hour but even that was too long. Now playing the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society to recover and come back from this literal hell.
A frenetic blast
Obv
Very good example of thrash metal - the growls, the wails, the pounding drums, lots of satanic allusions and imagery. It's good if you're in the mood for it, which I unfortunately was not. Really just a lot of pounding that I couldn't connect with.
FUUCKIIIINNNGGG SLAAAAYYEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!! That is all
raining blood on expert.
#442/1001. As a young metal fan about 40 years ago I remember the excitement of trash / speed metal and the big four: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and...erm...was it Anthrax? Well it was 40 years ago. metallica turned out to become the most versatile and radio friendly, but that also makes them most sold out - or most interesting, choose your side. megadeth was the most boring and Slayer the baddest of them all, who only the ones with no future in our society listened to. So I can confess that this is probably my first complete Slayer album. What about it, then? Very muddy riffs, almost the same tempo all over, the singers voice is not very interesting, or 'metal' and still it does sound better than megadeth (which I have rated 1 abd 2 I think). Or maybe it's just my mood now. But no,metal is not for me anymore (with some exceptions), for the 13-year old me it was the thing, but I'm glad I moved over on to more interesting music, such as British folk, Finnish punk, German ambient and Japanese noise.
pelkästään killing pacen raining blood coverin takia
I mean, they REALLY committed to the bit, didn't they? Strangely, their brand of extreme transgressive metal was not an outlier. Vaunted to this day.
Yah this is one of the easiest reviews I’ve ever done. No skips! Genre defining! Game changing! This is easily one of the foundational pillars in metal! It’s just so perfect! It has the right tone, the correct energy, and best of all, to this day this is one of the heaviest albums out there. It’s so good! You will have a hard time finding an album as genre defining as this. All of metal was influenced by this album, it completely changed the landscape of what metal music was! The second this album came out, hair “metal” bands really couldn’t call themselves metal anymore with a straight face. Also it has some of the most fun lyrics in metal. Like “Surgery, with no anesthesia Feel the knife pierce you intensely Inferior, no use to mankind Strapped down screaming out to die” like come on! If you like metal that’s like as good as it gets!
I tried, but not for me :/
I marvel at their belief.
A full album is too much. 1/5
It starts and ends with two of the great thrash metal tracks. It's messy and splattergun and teenage, but I can't hate it. Truthfully I never liked Slayer as much as some other metal bands, but this has it's moments for sure. I just can't bring myself to give it a 5. After all the years it doesn't have the swing or groove I want. Even later Slayer like South of Heaven or Seasons in the Abyss has some heft to it - this is just a chainsaw to the face. But god, sometimes that's exactly what you need. Definitely deserves its place on the list though. Strong 4.
Favorite track(s): Angel of Death, Piece by Piece, Altar of Sacrifice, Jesus Saves, Criminally Insane, Postmortem, Raining Blood The best of the Big Four and it's criminal not to include more of their albums, or more metal in general, on this dumb ass list. Heard before Previous rating: 9/10
Musically I quite like metal if for this album the solo’s are very rushed. I just cannot get over the cringeworthy lyrics, just look at the song titles: “Necrophobic”, “Postmortem” etc. Makes me cringe to no end. 3/5
The thrash era of the Big Four was peak metal for me. This is good, but the chaos that Slayer brings draws a bit more aggression out of me than I usually need these days.
In hindsight, it is funny this album would have been a focal point for the satanic panic. Cause it is kinda boring. It all sounds exactly the same.
For the style, this is a master class in pummeling instruments, crazy lyrics, and famed Rick Rubin production marking it all accessible audially (I don’t think that’s a word). Not one I’ll have on repeat but it is a classic in the genre and I understand its appeal and acclaim.
Best Track - "Rain In Blood"
3/10 Horrible. At least it was short. Lyrically vile, musically unrelenting metal. Just the odd riff to pique interest. Solos are accomplished but it's weird how the most technically gifted double-tapped or sweep-picked phrases are so flat, when a three note motif played with the right musicality soars. I saw a post on the day I got this where someone had posted one of those "<SomeMusicRags> Top 50 albums of all time" and asked what was missing. Someone commented this; I can only assume unironically. Absolutely baffling.
Why is it boring? It shouldn’t be boring, but the bass is weak, Tom Araya only screams (never sings), and the songs have no range and little variation. That’s a tough listen. Disappointing!
Classic heavy metal. The title track still stands out; the rest blurs together for me, but that's ok
This album absolutely rips. Unfortunately the guitar solos are straight nonsense, and could be way better. The drumming is fucking insane, as well as the rest of the rhythm section. After a few minutes, this record is honestly funny to listen to due to the sheer insanity that's unfolding. In all seriousness, the music manages to stay consistent due to the great production and the constantly changing grooves every other section. This album is also way ahead of its time. Im blown away that this came out in 86. Another thing I love about this album is the sick ass artwork, like holy shit. The lyrics are also great too. Is it over the top? Absolutely. True heaviness comes from the space, and this album leaves none. But it's certainly fun, and not too long for me to care.
*Quintessential thrash metal *Haven't heard much Slayer before...was surprised how much it sounded like Metallica
2/5
Not my cuppa.
buenas canciones, el problema es que casi todas son iguales 3.6
Why am I being punished like this??
Hard, fast, full of energy. Not always my cup of tea, but kind of enjoyed it 4* Highlight: postmortem, raining blood (some straight-up Doom music)
Cant say I like metal all too much, but at least the songs on this were fun and full of energy.
OK this fucking rules.
alright
Classic early thrash album.
Whatever
If it had some variety I’d probably give it a 5 but it seems like the same song copy/pasted (except for maybe raining blood)
-ah fuck another metal album. we'll see how this goes. -thirty seconds in. they're on thin ice. -this album is less than half an hour. i was hoping it would be longer so i could justify not wasting time on it. but now i feel kind of obligated to listen to it all the way through. just know i'm rolling my eyes the whole time. -the guitar is nice sometimes but i'll say that about any song. -i'm on "altar of sacrifice" and i'm giving up. i feel like i've lost years off my life or at least a decent chunk of energy
Better by a metal-mile than Kanye's Fantasy, at least for me. So there's that. But otherwise, I can only imagine these guys snorting meth or drinking (shooting up) Everest-sized mugs of caffeine. Wow....everybody let's get this album A.S.A.P. It's kind of funny. But I like my metal a bit in the sludge mold (thanks Ozzy!). I couldn't lesten to this very often (without going bat-shit crazy), but still more to my taste than Kanye. I have no idea which song I liked since they seem to be shot out of a rifle one after the other. Divinity bless the young dudes who head-bang to this stuff. 3 "I don't think I'd ever buy this stuff, though" stars.
Just can't do metal
Goddamn I hate metal so much. The only redeeming quality for me is the drumming, which is unfortunately ruined by everything else. From another review: “In jazz, sometimes it’s about the notes you don’t play….clearly these guys never got the message.”
2/10 I just can't get over the incredibly immature lyrics. They sound like they're written by a really angsty teenager who is totally misunderstood by everyone, even though he lives in an upper-middle class suburb and has his own big 75" TV in his bedroom (which also has its own ensuite bathroom). Like... grow up, dude.
Rock muy pesado y muy duro. Todas las canciones bastante parecidas. Igual me gustó más que los últimos 4 discos, así que van 2 estrellas.
I like a lot of metal, but this isn't something I like.
modo diabolo. si lo escuchaba drogada me gustaba
JL : 4, Criminally Insane A : 2?
A bit too hard for me
This album kicks ass obviously but I will dock it a point for variety. It's also surprisingly short. Sub 30 minutes is a lot of dollars per minute.
Afro rock
370/1089 you know what? this was decent Metal, it didn’t feel like a trudge to get through faves: Raining Blood, Criminally Insane 55/100
Hey, sometimes metal is great.
A lightning rod and clearly a foundation for a lot of great iteration to follow. Sounds great
Heavy as fuck
No thank you.
😱
Really good Death and Thrash Metal album with crazy good vocals. Kinda reminds me of Metallica in a way. Favourite Songs: Angel of Death, Altar of Sacrifice, Postmortem, Raining Blood. Least favourite Songs: Jesus Saves, Reborn.
I remember hearing “Angel of Death” for the first time in high school and being completely blown away. Reign in Blood was already nearly 20 years old by then, but it sounded unlike anything else I’d heard. Kerry King’s breakneck guitar playing, Tom Araya’s wailing vocals, the lyrics, Dave Lombardo drumming like the kit had personally offended him. That was when I got hooked on Slayer. The whole album feels like it’s trying to outrun itself. “Altar of Sacrifice” flowing straight into “Jesus Saves” is flawless, and the intro to “Raining Blood” is one of the most iconic openings in metal. You hear those first few notes and already know what’s coming. Twenty-nine minutes of nonstop thrash. No filler, no chance to catch your breath, and no bad songs.
The guitar solos, the thematic layering is actually well thought out, the whole Satan angle is used a lot more than it should be but it was the 80's so shock value still meant something I think, very enjoyable.
Not my cup of tea.
I wish I could give this 0 stars.
I find it mystifying that people enjoy this. No genuine substance, just shallow, over-the-top gimmicks. It had rhythm at least .. like a heart palpitation.
yuck
Is it over yet?
the musics fine, but the lyrics... aggressively shit
I’ve tried listening to this album before and it gave me a headache. Guess what it fucking happened again. I don’t even dislike metal! I enjoy far more annoying albums! I don’t even think it sounds bad! But it’s the only album that consistently gives me a headache
9/10 A thrash metal classic. Super banger. One of those metal albums that you'd recommend to someone looking to get into the genre.
I loved Slayer as a kid... Prefer South of Heaven and Seasons in The Abyss, but this is a brutal, awesome 30 minutes...
Better than expected
My second-favourite of the Big Four thrash acts. Very brutal, breakneck break-beats, super-shreddy solos and Tom Araya screaming. Its not going to be a lot of people’s cup of tea, but it works for me.
A great metal album but I prefer South of Heaven or Season's in the Abyss. Either of those would have been 5 stars for me.
Not my taste.
Fuck yeah, Slayer SSSSLLLLLLAAAAAYYYYYYYYYERRRR
I don’t trust people that hate Slayer.
OMG. Some of this was actually painful to my ears.
Really not my thing. Okayish but oh so samey.
Listening session: july 10th, while mealprepping Listened to before: no Thoughts: normally I can appreciate metal, but this album is just not interesting enough for me to really enjoy Favourite track: Criminically Insane
Review - certified thrash classic. So heavy. Score - 8/10 Need to listen? YES
8 - GOOD
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
yeah that's thrash metal
Saw them in concert at M3. They were loud and distorted. The album is a little better as I can adjust the volume. I know this band was a favorite of my metal-head friends but it all sounds alike to me
Vähän turhan tiukkaa tavaraa. Ei meinaa saada selvää teksteistä.
Kyllä slayer uppoaa. Bändin paras levy.
One song in and this might be my favorite metal album of all time...except for maybe all the Nazi lyrics. I generally like the music, I appreciate that the lyrics are intelligible. However, the content is ridiculous, Nazis, death, Satan, it's almost like a caricature of metal lyrics. This album is short though.
Rocks very hard
fand ich ein bisschen zu crazy
I didn’t hate my parents enough in high school to like this.
Damn I love riffs on this album
Straight up energy for 30 minutes. Loved the intensity
Ok
Reign In Blood is also a chapter in Len Houmous’ sex manual. 3.4 10/10 Raining Blood
So silly
This is rad. I really like the hardcore and punk influences throughout. Its heavy and fast and makes me just want to jump into a mosh pit. I really like how the guitar solos sync up and kind of play in unison and also over each other. I don't gravitate to this stuff often, but I totally get how and where it hits.
Not my thing.
Heard Some Before; 3; I went back and forth on this album. On the one hand, it is technically impressive, certainly aggressive and can be fun at times, and having listened to a lot of different music since first hearing this years ago, I can appreciate that this sounds close to hardcore/punk in a lot of ways. At the same time, the album doesn't really give a chance to breathe or find a groove. While I get this is the point to some degree, it gets a little old after a while. As a counterpoint, Raining Blood gives a little more room for the riffs and grooves to work, has a little more variation, and makes it a much more memorable track. Overall something I enjoyed and something I would come back to when I'm looking for something, loud, fast, and aggressive, but not an "all the time" listen. Favorite Track: Raining Blood
C'est tout le temps la même chose un peu nan?
In my opinion, the mark of a good metal band is the ability to play fast music while also sounding controlled. This just sounds all over the place when they wanna be “intense.” Also not really a fan of the being edgy for the sake of being edgy either. That being said, I do just kinda like metal
2/4
I love metal but I could never really get into this album, it's just fast for the sake of being fast. Raining Blood is still awesome
Hmmm not really my thing. This is too much metal for my tastes. A good album, of course, but not for my ears.
Not for me
Iconic, classic. Has one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in the history of metal
2.5, rounded down
"I don't trust anyone who doesn't like Slayer." -- Mike Patton I've listened to this album more times in the past decade than any other. No other album makes me feel heard like this. Someone else is just as fucking angry about everything as I am! Sure, the lyrics are not great. Problematic even. But oh man, the music. Slayer's first two albums on Metal Blade sounded like shit. That sounds mean to say, but honestly, it was the norm! All the rest of the Metal Blade stuff was like that. Just, look, I don't know the story behind that label's recordings, but I can imagine that they were keeping it cheap. For this album, Rick Rubin figured out how to get something that sounded excellent and also different. He also pushed these guys to get faster and faster, recording so the tracks at the edge of what they could perform. The whole album sounds like it's right on the precipice of complete chaos, still super tight, but balanced just so it's leaning a little towards disaster. Dave Lombardo is the key that unlocks this for me, the player here that won my heart. For sure, this thing would not have been possible without this exact combination of people. Not without Kerry and Jeff's weird stylistic mind meld or without Tom's fire spitting. But it's Dave's feel that does it for me. In the 1970's, heavy metal was still rooted in blues, and still had swing to it. Sadly today, swing is essentially gone from metal. But, here, in 1986, Dave is still connected back in conversation with it. Most rock drummers become metronomic up at these tempos. But Dave is able to play so comfortably and so fluidly, that he is somehow gracefully swinging while delivering unparalleled brutality. One of the best moments for me is just past the one minute mark in Raining Blood, when the tempo ratchets up. The guitar parts are complex here, and it's clearly right at the edge of what Kerry and Jeff are capable of pulling off. But Dave is like "this is the friggin' tempo guys", and asserting it by playing on the leading edge of the beat with urgency, bodily pulling everyone forward. But, it's still tight? Instead of coming off like a bunch of players that can't cut it, it sounds like a mortal struggle. Dave's lead against Kerry and Jeff laying back a little creates a weird shuffle/swing feel. Within a few bars, they all converge. Fun fact: when this came out in the '80's on cassette, they took a look at the 29 minute runtime and decided to just lay the whole album down on both sides.
I had to listen to this album at very low volume because it was hard on the ears, but I didn't hate it. I think the fast drums was my favourite part about it. I could go without the vocals though.
Oh yeah. Can’t wait. I am driving to work with my son in the car. He gets to listen from front to back. I can’t believe reign in blood is almost mainstream since guitar hero. This record changed everything for me. Sound is amazing. Dave Lombardo drumming is absurd. Vocals are evil. I was shocked when I heard it was Rick Rubin that produced this back in the day. Landmark record for the genre. This record never left my rotation. Easy 5 stars.
Slayer 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
One of the most influential albums in all of extreme metal. Rick Rubin distilled this down to its essence, which is fast, raw and punishing. Angel of Death is just a beast of a track to start off with, and Raining Blood is one of the best intros in all of metal. I think I tend to like this more when you get the crushing riffs in half tempo, and less when it is breakneck thrash, but like that this album covers ground in both areas. Sure the subject matter of the lyrics is designed to be off-putting but I think Slayer was at the forefront of boundary-pushing in this regard too, and I don't think they really took themselves as seriously in this regard as some that would follow. All in all this is probably near-masterpiece territory, maybe not quite a personal 5 for me.
Another album of thrash goodness, overall besides Raining Blood and Angel of Death in the grand scheme of entries it's middling
2,9/5
Relentless
28 minutes of thrash metal! It was great!
Most of the songs sound the same. I only know Raining Blood from when I was younger. I found it cool back then. I don't need a whole album like it though.
that 's good, i love the title track but the guitar and drums are over the top in the other tracks. It must be a groundbraking disk at the time
I love the riffs, love the drums, enjoy the stupid-fast solos. These guys are immensely talented. My challenge with Slayer, as well as Megadeth and Anthrax, is that the lyrics are just so stupid, as is the singing itself. Maybe this makes me a Metallica normie, but that's how I see it. The lyrics are a dork who watches literally every horror movie. The music though? It rocks. "Raining Blood" is the apotheosis of this. It's an awesome song to listen to, unless you listen closely, at which point the stupid comes seeping through.
There are albums that persuade you through emotion. There are albums that persuade you through ideas. This one persuades through sheer force of execution. I spent much of Reign in Blood arguing with it. The lyrics often feel more interested in horror than understanding, more concerned with presenting atrocities than interrogating them. Jeff Hanneman was many things, but a profound lyricist he was not. Again and again I found myself thinking, “Yes, we know. Mengele was bad.” And yet the album kept winning the argument. Partly because the musicianship is astonishing. Not in a showy, progressive-rock sense, but in the way an Olympic performance is astonishing. The speed is one thing. The precision is another. The real achievement is that it never sounds like a technical exercise. Beneath all the violence and apocalypse, Slayer groove. My head was nodding. I wasn’t expecting that. The other revelation was Tom Araya. For an album with a reputation for extremity, the diction is extraordinary. These lyrics aren’t buried in the mix. They’re delivered with the clarity of a man determined that every word will arrive on time. As somebody who has spent time singing, I found myself increasingly admiring the logistics of the performance. The quantity of language being delivered at those tempos is remarkable. What really impressed me, though, was the economy. By the halfway point, songs were beginning to feel like three songs compressed into one. Riffs appear, establish themselves, and disappear before they can become familiar. Nothing lingers. Nothing is wasted. The whole record feels like a fax machine transmitting information at maximum speed. Not simple. Compressed. And that’s where the album’s greatness lies. Slayer don’t stumble towards a thesis. They decide upon one and execute it with frightening discipline. Every decision serves the same objective. The production. The sequencing. The brevity. The complete absence of filler. There isn’t a saggy track on the album. I still don’t think the lyrics are particularly deep. I still wouldn’t choose this world over many others. But by the end I understood something important: this isn’t a great thrash metal album because it’s extreme. It’s a great thrash metal album because it’s ruthlessly, almost unbelievably, effective. I shouldn’t really like it. But sometimes craftsmanship leaves you with very little choice. It’s Slayer - Reign in Blood.
Not for me at all. Had the benefit of being short and fast paced
Pre Listen: Slayer's a band I've heard of, I've intended to give a listen to, but never got around to it. If I've heard any of their work before, it hasn't been to my knowledge. The cover art builds sufficient expectations on what to expect I think. Notable Tracks: Angel of Death - 10 seconds in and this is exactly what I was both expecting and hoping for. This'll be a fun one. Epidemic - Favorite track of the album. Does their style best. Criminally Insane - Least favorite track on the album. Other songs are edgy and bordering goofy, this one just comes off as too goofy. Post Listen: You know, I was hoping for a bit more after the first song. It's thrasher metal, which I generally appreciate, but it fell flatter and flatter after each song. It all started blending together faster than I thought it would. Edgy lyrics, thrashing guitar and drums, strained lyrics, over and over. Minimal changes in chord progressions, tempo changes, lyrical subject matter, and overall sound. All that to say I enjoyed it overall, but I'm thankful this is a shorter album, it lasts exactly as long as it needs to. Fun music, just got boring. 3/5
Kerry King is a fucking moron but this was a solid album. Really haven’t ventured into metal much over the years so this was a nice experience regardless. I don’t see myself listening to this regularly but I was impressed by the musicianship here, particularly the guitar work.
Enough metal already
Not for me. Similar to early Metallica.
Landmark Trash album, really fucking cool and edgy and loud. It's all a bit much, but I guess that is part of the charm. There are times where I like it more than other times. I would've easily given this 5 stars other times but guess I just wasn't really feeling it. Can't really fault the album for anything, Slayer is just a bit of a divisive band.
SLAAAAAAAYYYYYYEEEEEERRRRRRRRR
God I hate metal so much
I chuckle now thinking of how much this record scared me as a kid. The cover is nightmarish, this incomprehensible collage of carnage and blood and flame, and honestly I think it works pretty effectively. I shit on Rubin's conduct and production of The Cult's Electric, but listening to this I almost take back everything I said in that moment, one of the records that made him a household name. Not my favorite Slayer, but essential in every regard.
Slayer slaying
Fast. Loud. Pretty awesome. I'm a fan.
An absolute stunner on a technical level, this thing is like molten lava and just unrelenting. But, even at 28 minutes, it gets repetitive and very hard to distinguish the songs. And the darkness of the subject matter made me feel pummeled into submission. I guess that's the intention. If I was in a mosh pit at one of their shows circa 1986, I wouldn't last long.
Pretty good half hour tour of hell! Nazi doctors, condemned witches, burning and/or tearing flesh, blood showers. All the highlights are here, everything you want to see in Satan's domain. Tour guide seems to really know his stuff. Maybe a concerning fixation on Nazism, but dude sure can shred
There’s clearly talent there, but I didn’t enjoy listening to this in the slightest.
SLAYYYERRRRRR
Speed rock / death metal is never going to be good to me
Well 3 tracks in and we've only really had lyrics about gruesome violence. Not really what I want to listen to. I wonder if this album will take a radical change of direction with 'Altar of Sacrifice'? Oh... Gonna just about give 2* because there is clearly some skilled musicianship here. The drumming is good but I have no desire to return to this
Está guapo pero no estoy en el mood
Not for me at all, but it’s a well constructed album
I appreciate what they're doing but I do not enjoy metal at all.
this was hot garbage. very gross
Speedy, you’re too fast. And the devil Rick Ruben was involved. How appropriate. If I want to scare my husband and/or my dogs this is going to be my go to. Definitely. Not much more to be said, really. 3 - cause it’s fun to scare my dogs. They get up and leave the room. They look worried. Boolean: um… yes?
Awful, but better than expected
Awful. The guitars are cool but I cannot enjoy this style of vocals, which is not singing. This is definitely what differentiates Metallica and Megadeth from Slayer at the advent of Thrash Metal. I need the singing.
Too hard rock for my tastes.
An absolutely iconic record. Top-to-bottom shredder that established Slayer as more than that "cult band" that played dark, heavy metal. It was the first Slayer album to enter the Billboard 200 albums chart, reaching #94 and is consistently ranked among the greatest metal records ever released.
Like thrash metal? You’ll love this. You’ll already know that though. Insane lyrics relentless energy massive power. But I can’t like what I don’t like.
Did Not Listen - No Interest
It wasn't really good but hell I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy blood, guts, and forsaking Jesus christ
I understood how controversial this may have been at the time. Now, it just seems like they're trying too hard to shock with their lyrics, which really come across as aggressively spoken words. The speed of the music is impressive, but maybe I'm just too jaded for the angry, growling sound-alike songs to impact me otherwise. It's actually kind of a yawner for me.
I occasionally love super heavy metal/rock like this, but it also seemed to be lacking much depth beyond being as fast and dark as possible. Would have preferred some variety and definition. Overall 3.25/5
One of the best thrash metal records ever. Pure violence. I love it.
Out of the big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Antrax, Slayer) Slayer were always my 3rd favourite. This is likely due to the fact that Metallica and Megadeth are alot closer to the heavy metal side, and Slayer and Antrax are alot more pure thrash metal. This album is very much pure thrash. The riffs are great, and the drumming is impeccable. The thing that never clicked with me was Kerry King's guitar solos. He's actually a good player it's just he plays his solos like hes never picked a guitar up before for some reason.
it kind of all sounded the same to me ... little bit too messy (?) sounding for my taste as well... i don't think it's objectively Bad but it's just not for me I'm the slightest
i loved this!! very fast and heavy... it was awesome well-produced too and I appreciated the length, short and sweet. some songs sounded very similar to each other, but towards the end of the album it got a bit more diverse i don't always have the energy to listen to something like this but next time i feel like listening to something very fast and loud i'm gonna put this on... good discovery for me
Niet echt mn ding
If there's one genre I really don't enjoy, it's thrash metal. This is very much NOT made for my taste. I'm open to other types of metal but I really struggle with the tempo mixed with the "singing" which isn't singing in my opinion. At least you can hear the lyrics in this album; having indiscernible lyrics is one of my main points of contention with lots of metal. But it's just grating to me. I understand that lots of people love this type of music and that Slayer as a band is very famous and well regarded, but I am not a metalhead and so it's not of historical importance to me either. I get metal as a whole, the energy, the emotion, etc. Like yes, I understand that the drums and guitar are technically sound, they're clean and there's a lot of musical interest. One of my main pain points with metal is also that I don't typically like music that feeds on negative feelings vs positive ones. In much simpler terms, I like happy music. Or if the emotion is more negative, it's never to the level of rage and despondency that metal seems to embody. This is becoming an essay on metal instead of Reign In Blood by Slayer so I'll focus back on this particular metal album. It's decent by my standards. Again, it doesn't have the main points of contention that other metal albums have for me. I can understand the lyrics, the songs are short and quick. There's a distinct divide between songs and they're technically well executed. This is still not something that I would ever choose to listen to. However, I wouldn't judge someone for liking it. I would go to a concert to see them perform and I might not enjoy it fully, but I would willingly go. Not torture, more acceptance and interest in experiencing life through a different lens. The best way to listen to metal, I've learned, is to REALLY listen to it. Close your eyes and focus more on the depth and the different lines and rhythms all weaving together. But the singing here brings me out of that so quickly, and then it just sounds like a jumbled wall of gross emotion. I will also say, if you are someone who doesn't listen to metal regularly, the best thing to do is to let your brain get used to it. So I think listening to a whole album instead of a song is actually a great way to see if you like it more than your initial reaction. Also being angry before you listen really helps too but again, I don't like music that makes me feel MORE angry or MORE sad so it's just really not meant for me! Can you tell that I am a former metal hater who is with someone who is in a metal band? I have expanded what I like and don't like so much in music because of that. I wouldn't say I hate any whole genre of music now, I just know that I have a harder time connecting with metal and that I am going to be pickier about the metal I do like and want to listen to. I will say, the last song Raining Blood was my favorite song on the album by far. All in all, not a bad album for metal but because I'm ranking it and it's still metal, the highest I can give it is a 3.
:)
I read the reviews of this album with bated breath. Honestly, I expected that there were going to be a lot more 1 and 5 ratings and not so many 3's. I'm not sure how you fall in the middle on this album. Frankly, I feel like you fall into one of two camps. First camp is the "I don't get this, it all sounds the same, why are they singing about this, oooohhh sooo edgy" camp. The second camp is simply SSSLLLLAAAAYYYEEEERRRRRRR. I was 7 in 1986. I was not listening to Slayer when I was 7. But in 1986, Metallica released Master of Puppets, arguably their magnum opus. Megadeth came in with Peace Sells...But Who's Buying (their magnum opus to come four years later), Sepultura released their first album, Anthrax was in between albums and Testament hadn't gotten started yet. And then here comes Slayer. Listen, Reign in Blood isn't my favorite Slayer album. South of Heaven has always been better in my opinion, and frankly, Seasons in the Abyss could challenge it as well. And it's a shame neither of those made this list. But here's Reign in Blood. An album that lasts all of 28 minutes. And while Metallica and Megadeth were on their way to more melody and structure, Slayer just comes in with furious, double bass drum assault on all your senses and produces arguably one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time. You can't talk about heavy metal without talking about Slayer. You can't talk about Slayer without mentioning Raining Blood and Angel of Death. That transition straight from Postmortem into Angel of Death is iconic. For those reviews that rate this a 3, I almost don't believe them. I don't see how you sit on the fence on this album. Unless you're a diehard metalhead, nobody casually reaches for Reign in Blood to put on for a chill Sunday afternoon. 5 stars for 28 minutes of some of the most influential, iconic thrash metal ever released.
well if this just isnt the best metal album ive ever heard….
Literally loved this, I need to try more of their back catalogue
Le mal de tête.
Bah c'est juste des mecs qui pensent que si ils jouent vite c'est bien (non), je pense que le batteur a découvert le concept de double pédale juste avant d'enregistrer l'album c'est pas possible autrement. 30 minutes de bruit blanc aurait été plus agréable que cette torture de bruit. Pas de riffs mémorables, pas de mélodie, rien de prenant juste des bruits qui s'enchainent. Ah oui et la voix est à chier aussi Dieu merci c'est que 28 minutes
Red meet for the converted, a bunch of noise for the rest of us
15 year old me would have been too good for this.
An absolute masterpiece. Every metalhead should listen to this album once at least before die.
Such a classic. This album changed my life when I listened to it in high school for the first time, just coming off of hardcore punk. What I love about the ratings is that they create a perfect stabilized pyramid, meaning that this is as divisive as ever. This recording destroys me to this day. Between Lombardo's booming drums, Araya's menacing vocals, and the evil-sounding, wicked guitar playing of King and Hanneman (still can't get my guitar to sound as gross to this day), to the themes of horror and carnage in human history, it's simply an incredible effort for its time. Scared? Good. Remember that the content is tongue-in-cheek, though the music is not. I really wish I had seen Slayer live—but Rubin's production makes it feel like they're playing in my living room, destroying everything in sight. So much fun, and so crazy. I still love this album and the reactions it still gives me.
Love it as something to play in the background. I like thrash but I wouldn’t go out of my way to actively listen to it.
Album #158 Slayer: Reign In Blood Yesterday I was given a 28-minute album, one ‘Elvis Presley’ by Elvis Presley; and though it was hardly my favourite album ever, I couldn’t help but think that it would be hard for an album that short to offend me. Well, today I received yet another 28-minute ordeal, this time its length was not enough to save it. Okay, maybe its length helped a little, because if this thing were an hour it may have been my least favourite album on this list so far; and I wouldn’t say that ‘offend’ is the right word for this either, more so ‘cringe’. The album immediately lets you know its entire schtick on the first track, just mindlessly babbling shit that sounds offensive or risky, almost like a child trying to conjure up something to say to seem dangerous in the schoolyard. Yes, we get it, you talk about the Holocaust and Satanism, your music is really different than all of these other mainstream bands. I get how, for 1986, this would be an insane thing to hear for many people, but considering the reputation that this album has, I sort of expected my ears to be bleeding in pain after hearing this; instead, I really just felt bored. There is almost no variation in the songs, to the point where I didn’t even realize a new song had started multiple times, and I understand that may be down to me not listening to this type of music much, but even then, when I listen to jazz, I can still draw a line between tracks. I understand people liking this, I really do, it’s the same thing as enjoying straight gore horror movies as a kid, it’s just a way of feeling something that doesn’t exist in your own boring life, which is why most goth kids come from the suburbs. What I am surprised about, though, is how critically loved this is. Thrash metal, in general, to me seems like some pretty low-brow music. Not to look down upon it since I enjoy my fair share of low-brow media, but it is weird to me that this is seen as good, but God forbid a band use synthesizers. Best Songs: Raining Blood, Altar of Sacrifice, really nothing else Worst Song: Angel Of Death Score out of 10: 3
Good
lixo p crl. quem achou que satanismo e gritaria era algo legal? coisa de retardado
One I appreciate for its impact more than actually enjoy. Some great stuff in here, Raining Blood was my fav song and first listen, but I found it too heavy for my personal taste
Not even my favorite Slayer album, but an undisputed and awesome metal classic!
Writing a song about Josef Mengele is ballsy. Making it the opening track is metal as fuck. I respect it, because much of the music I love was made by people who realized heavy music was possible by listening to this album. But it’s…not very good.
Pretty good thrash metal. Very accessible for new metal fans but the only gripe is that I feel like this album has influenced a lot of substandard thrash and death metal which are completely inferior compared to this 8/10 Favourite: Raining Blood Least Favourite: Necrophobic
No nonsense, tight, heavy. Everything needed from a solid thrash record. Big fan.
Ja dit is gewoon cool tbh, zeker in 86
Slayer is de Cooler Daniel to Metallica's Daniel.
Definitely metal! Time for some Jesus!!!
Not for me . Just noise . Every track started the same . Thank goodness it was only 28 minutes long .
Put off listening to this because I knew it would be dogshit, finally bit the bullet and it was confirmed.
Reign in Blood by Slayer was always going to be a tough listen for me, so I was very thankful to discover it only lasts 29 minutes. There really isn’t much I can say about this album because it is completely not my thing. It’s loud, aggressive, relentless and honestly just exhausting from start to finish. I can appreciate that it was probably hugely influential within thrash metal, but musically I found very little to connect with here. The speed and intensity never really let up, and after a while every track blended into one long wall of noise for me. Fans of the genre will probably love the chaos and aggression, but personally I struggled to find anything redeeming in it. Favourite tracks: I genuinely couldn’t pick one. Least favourite tracks: I struggled to find a redeeming feature across most of the album. Album artwork: Horrible, but to be fair it probably suits the music perfectly.
I think I would really like this as an instrumental record. There are some very cool metal groves on here - in that respect exactly what I was hoping from my knowledge of the popular tracks. Unfortunately I can't really get on with the vocals. No melody particularly. No particularly interesting rhythms. A bitey shoutey style of scream/growl that really pulls my ear and doesn't sound good too me. Then the lyrics have some pretty basic, immature sounding, deathly themes - again in find this distracting from the apparent depth of the music. I know I'm wrong from the point of view that so many people love this band exactly as they are - but I kind of wish it was a keel haul style instrumental record
Angel of Death - 5/5 Piece by Piece - 4/5 Necrophobic - 4/5 Altar of Sacrifice - 5/5 Jesus Saves - 4/5 Criminally Insane - 4/5 Reborn - 3/5 Epidemic - 3/5 Postmortem - 5/5 Raining Blood - 5/5 Average score: 4.2/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💯 Speed Zoom Aaaahhhhhh
A bit too aggressive for me... 1 star
So bad I really thought this music only existed in a "make fun of metal" format. Garbage.
I had the same excitement to listen to this album as I did Megadeth, since I never really gave either band a full listen, but was disappointed. They've got a similar vibe but it feels a little more reckless and more blindly aggressive. Feels like splitting hairs with Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer probably sounding indistinguishable from each other to a lot of listeners, but I do think I enjoy slayer the least of the three. 2.5 rounded down bc I was kind of annoyed by the end of the album
I don't mind thrash metal at times, but I think this album really shows to me how great Metallica is. This album had its moments, but a lot of times it was just full throttle with no vocals or anything that made a song stand out. I did like how each song was 2-3 minutes of just pure rage, but in my mind it doesn't compare to something like Master of Puppets or Battery by Metallica. Raining Blood was probably my favorite track on the album.
Noisy
Another masterpiece. I love that this was right after Taylor Swift 1989. And I love both albums. This is such a great album. Tom Araya’s voice is like no other. It’s still crazy to me that this album is only 29 minutes.
I personally just don't trash metal. Very cool for the times.
So so
oooooh. oooooooooooooooooooh. I was excited for this. And I was right to be. This is insanely good. I mean- oh my fuck. I’ve never been a gigantic metal fan, but this is easily the best evidence that I should be one. This is just so incredible. The imagery, the riffs… it immerses you deeply into this incredibly hellish world, in a way that’s genuinely affecting and foreboding. It might get old if it were longer but it just isn’t! It’s just- it’s perfect. It is PERFECT. 10/10
Voy a escuchar esto a las 7 de la mañana para domar a la fase lútea.
Damn I was pretty surprised how much I enjoyed listening to this. It's tight and heavy and brutal, but also weirdly elegant. Metal even a punk could like.
What's Rick Rubin doing here?
Well, that opening song is certainly worth an attentive ear. Here I was thinking this would be another mindless headbanger as far as lyrical content goes, but then a very vivid song about Auschwitz experiments hits me in the face. The fairly descriptive, fleshed-out lyrics would continue for most of the album, but would dip into more typical themes, like on “Altar Of Sacrifice”. I can hear the exact reasons why this album is great, and I respect each reason. The sonics and recording work are superb. Drums are full and relentless, the guitar distortion is heavy, the atmosphere is dreadful and dire. The composition trims all the fat, holding the listeners focus with all sorts of new riffs thrown around - as someone whos a bit allergic to most things metal (I have all sorts of modern dubstep/riddim to fill that hole), these quick tracks are what I appreciate the most. The chaotic ending puts a bow on the package here. It could be a 4 or even 5 if I personally relished listening to metal more. I don’t, so it’s a 3/5, but I recognize the greatness. I wish for a moment or two of silence and melody, but it’s all good
ugh....
Bueno
Ay yay yay... I just have so much trouble with this heavy metal stuff. The playing is exciting and impressive, but the musical experience is mostly just a headache. I feel old when I listen to stuff like this cuz I just don't understand it.
This like...isn't bad. But this definitely isn't for me and feels like noise at times. They do what they want to do well, but it is a lot. Perfect 2.5/5 album Liked Songs: "Angel Of Death" , "Piece By Piece" , "Altar Of Sacrifice" , "Jesus Saves" , "Criminally Insane" , "Epidemic" , "Postmortem" , "Raining Blood"
Not my thing at all! But man there are some great guitar riffs!
A head banger for sure but there have been better beans bangers on this list
Only thing I have to ask is - why is South of Heaven not on this list?
Nope
I guess the idea is to depict what long and inescapable suffering is. In this regard the album is a success: I was fed up after two songs. All kiding aside, this is formulaic speed metal: one bangs heavily, another one makes a guitar solo, there are some screamings and lyrics about the devil and the suffering. Repeat. Not my stuff at all.
Guitar riffs
The playing is tight (particularly the drums) but for me it's still mostly a bored yawn.
No Thanks
Pass.
Considering I don’t know anybody that would listen to this album I would like to know who does? What is the percentage of the population that listens to this? It’s like living under a freeway overpass.
Just no...
I too was prepared to launch into a huge piece about the importance of this album. But either you get it or you don't at this point. I'm the former. Quintessential for those who know. I've adjusted my ranking because it isn't as good as what came after. But it started it all.
457/1089 - zZz... zZz...
neat
Not bad, not for me. But I can respect this genre for providing the foundation to other works that I enjoy more. Thanks, Slayer. 2.75 rounded up to 3.
Gear: INAWAKEN Twilight-DS Artwork: ️ 🐐😈🩸 Production: 🗑️🎯🤘 Music: 🫶🦄🌈 Rating: ⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧/5
A cornerstone of extreme music and all things heavy. An album which asks not if we should play fast, but instead how fast can we go? As a fan of this sort of music, and I can admit it’s not for everyone, I adore this record. 5/5
Går ikke an å gi dette 3, men både 2 og 4 blir feil
Unfortunately, I just don't get this genre of rock. It's more like a headache than music.
Produced by Rick Rubin, Reign In Blood is rightly considered a thrash metal classic. I like my metal either slow and gloomy or fast and lean, and Reign In Blood is a prime example of the latter. 9/10
No es mi palo
Grungy and heavy, and classic. Not for me (devout christian)
lots of fun , but never going to listen to again . 2.3
Just relentless from beginning to end. Absolute ripper. Doesn’t outstay its welcome too with its concise thirty minute runtime. Excellent guitar work and riffs. Favorites were Angel Of Death, Altar Of Sacrifice, Postmortem, and Raining Blood.
No soy fan del metal y cualquiera de sus subgéneros. No me llama la atención nada y lo veo como puro sonido. Pero por alguna razón este album es brutal y escucharlo sentí que no escuchaba a las bandas que debía de escuchar. Muy probablemente me va a volver fan del metal en el futuro, a ver que otro albumes salen
This is one of the few thrash albums that isn't Metallica (I'm not a metalhead) that I've heard, it's not too bad of an album. One thing that is very much apparent is the tempos, that are EXTREMELY fast, like holy hell! You can definitely hear the hardcore influences, the songs punch you right in the face and by time you've gotten yourself together the song just ends, and you end up wondering what on earth just happened. The guitar riffs are very mean and menacing as one would want from a thrash album. I particularly like the riffs in "Raining Blood." The lyrics in that song is my favourite of all. "Pierced from below / Souls of my treacherous past / Betrayed by many / Now ornaments dripping above" The lyrics on the album are beyond comical. Kerry King and the gang aren't trying to be people they're not and they just get straight to the point with the devil-worshipping, doom and despair lyrics. In conclusion these guys seem real mean and they seem like bad influences but this music is cool as hell, it's a perfect album for people who feel misunderstood and just wants an album that packs a punch. Highlight Song/s: "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood"
Slayer feels like they were in a rush to get the album finished before the get thrown out of the recording studio
I knew Slayer would be a band that I liked. Not my favorite, not the most original, but a solid metal album.
Maybe it's my brain that's off beat, but something isn't right here. I actually like it. Keeps you awake for sure. I don't think I'd be super excited if someone put some Slayer on, but I wouldn't complain. Background thrash metal.
the only good thrash band is Progagandhi
I dunno man. Slayer doesn’t work for me. A band that sounds like this has got to have at least an inkling of fun, but these guys come off as 100% self-serious. I also think Angel of Death is one of the dumbest songs ever. I believe them that their intent was just to make a song about the Horrors. I just don’t think a thrash band is gonna select for guys who have the tact to make a meaningful artistic statement about the holocaust ya know
Guilty pleasure
Personally, this is the single worst genre of music.
I'd rather listen to Dire Straits 20 least-popular songs, than Slayer's 1 most-popular, but hey that's just me. EDIT: After doing some research the consensus is "Les Boys" off the 1990 album "Making Movies" is Dire Straights most disliked song, so I tested my theory. I was correct.
Heavier than I'd normally listen to, but still better than lot of things on this list.
This was just made to ragebait old white people and while it’s not my cup of tea, I have to respect it.
Wow, Dave Lombardo is an absolute animal. Early thrash is so interesting, Slayer were basically a D-beat band with shredding on top. I had the first Black Sabbath album just a few days ago, so it’s crazy to see the progression of the metal genre in just 16 years. Drums are insane, there’s some really crazy guitar work and even some frog influences with timing and mod modulation. But, the lyrics are pretty goofy and it’s not something that I see myself coming back to again like some of the early Metallica records. Really technically impressive (especially for 1986) but it’s too much blood and chugs for me. Foundational but there is a lot better out there.
Hardcore and metal from the start, this album ends as loud as it started. From fast groovy riffs to rhythmic drums, this album was a blast to listen to and has overall great energy. 8/10, Favorite Song: Angel of Death
den to exw katholou me toso heavy metal, it's just noise actually
This was pretty influential within the realm of metal at the time.. buuuuuuuut, I don't think it's aged very well. Or maybe I just don't like Thrash Metal. Oh well
🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
Surprisingly easy album to listen to on repeat. Hella rad & just keeps going.
short album. I like metal but this unfortunately does nothing to me
rock, metal, good
No
Heavy metal meh
5/10
One of the greats!
I feel worn out with trying to keep up with the speed of this, there is no respite throughout, I'm sure it isn't good for the blood pressure. There are some interesting melodies hidden amongst the frantic riffery but it's all overwhelmed by the sonic panic attack.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It is a kick in the pants and doesn't let up. Glad it was only a half hour long. Don't think I would have enjoyed it much longer than I did.
Interesting. Last record was Metallica’s Master of Puppets and today this better record from the same year appears. Where Master of Puppets fails, Reign in Blood succeeds. The distinctions between the two highlight what, over time has become obvious but wasn’t immediately apparent upon release of both records: Slayer consolidated the sounds that would become thrash. No reverb, short fast songs, pure fucking energy, clean punchy and in time. I think that given the tempo changes throughout the record with sections of high tempo playing with each instrument in synch is simply amazing. Gone is the sludge of the first two Slayer records replaced by a clean recording with a great guitar tone. Also notably, unlike Metallica’s lengthy repeated riffs throughout the song, these songs minimize the repetitive passages which makes each song much more interesting and enjoyable. I still play this record fairly frequently unlike Master of Puppets which doesn’t get the same love. Lyrically, Slayer still has it’s fascination with Satan still intact ( Alter of Sacrifice ), Jesus Saves is definitely catchy and in my mind one of the best tracks on the album. Angel of Death is a fucking sledgehammer. Taken as a whole, the record still rocks. Not because they’re are thousands of bands who perform this stuff, but rather, because the production is uniformly exceptional at a time when most of the records on this genre were terribly Lo-fi. Very good record though not perfect. 4/5
glasno i brzo
Perfect!
Es ist schnell, hart und kompromisslos, aber auch erstaunlich eindimensional. Die 29 Minuten rasen ohne echte Dynamik vorbei, mehr Sturm als Struktur. Historisch wichtig, musikalisch jedoch eher ein monotones Brett als ein vielseitiges Werk.
Good record, one of my favorites in the genre. I would definitely need to take a deeper dive to their discography. 8/10 [KEEP]
Not as good as Metallica, but it’s fuckin Slayer. My son calls it wrestling music so that warrants a 5 from me.
Legendary for sure, just not really my thing.
I’ve been meaning to listen to Slayer for so long and I just forget or never get around to it. Finally!!! Here I am. Annnndddd I’m kinda disappointed. As far as metal bands go, it’s decent. Mid level. As far as ground breaking albums for me? Nah, not even close. This album won’t make you more of a fan. That’s all. Choice cut: Reign in Blood
The best thrash metal album ever and one of my all-time favorite albums period. 🤘
Crazy hectic death metal. If you just focus on what the drummer and/or the lead guitarist are doing it will blow your mind. When this came out I wasn't too fond of it. But over time I've really grown fond of the ground breaking style that Slayer pushed into the mainstream. I know this isn't for everyone. Probably not for most. And while it's not my favorite flavor of metal, I still love it.
Not my genre at all, but I appreciate what they’re doing here.
Having a hard time calling this "good" despite enjoying some aspects of it. Everything just seems disjointed. "OK Lead Guitar Guy, let's spend 2 minutes and 38 seconds shredding. Throw in a guitar solo whenever it feels right to you. Pick whichever notes you want for the solo; doesn't really matter, all guitar solos are cool, so just pick some notes and play them fast. OK Drummer Guy. 2 minutes and 38 seconds. Don't ask me what the tempo is because you already know the answer--it's fast, the same as it was on the last 3 tracks. Just fucking crush those drums, bud. OK Vocals Guy. We don't have enough studio time to get the vocals synced up with the music so, you know, use your best judgement to yell these words within your allotted 2 minutes and 38 seconds. Just mix it up whenever you feel like it. Takes some breaks here, try to shove too many words into a single line there, scream a little louder here. You get it." All that said, this worked better than some other thrash metal on this list. It wasn't a *complete* mindless assault on the ears. It's good for headbanging. I just wish it were better. A little more polish and a little less meth could've done wonders here. 2.7
I know most people find this badass, but I just think it's so silly. 2/5
I will hear no arguments that this is less than 5 stars
"iconic" piece of metal history!
Genre-defining Trash Metal Album. If you like Trash, you like this. If you don't you'll probably hate it.
NFM
I love seeing what nerds have to say about Slayer. 666/5
One song in and this might be my favorite metal album of all time...except for maybe all the Nazi lyrics. I generally like the music, I appreciate that the lyrics are intelligible. However, the content is ridiculous, Nazis, death, Satan, it's almost like a caricature of metal lyrics. This album is short though.
Ese tipo canta terrible ;; pero el ritmo es especcc, aunque muy upbeat todo el tiempo. Mucho para mí, un tre
Ja cool ofzo maar iets too much
This album sounds like what I think Metallica sounds like. This is bit too heavy for me this morning, which isnt the albums fault. Today I learned Raining Blood is not a Reggie and the Full Effect original! WOW! Overall this was pretty rad, and when it finished it went right into a metallica song and I didnt even notice.
I just don't get thrash metal. It always has me coming away thinking "are they serious?" Is this joke music? I don't think it is. It's just lame.
This is pretty awesome, even if it's not anything I'll ever regularly listen to. Very impressive to be able to hear every drum hit and guitar note in that chaos, but it is crystal clear. Fun listen.
I honestly wasn't sure if metal would be included in this list, so I'm pleasantly surprised that it is!
Thrash is just not my thing. I appreciate the musicianship though.